Apparently, the quality of the 3G network is not Free … But better than its competitors also degrades! The UFC-Que Choisir has just released its study on the quality of the different 3G operators. Surprise when we could logically expect an improvement in the quality, on the contrary, we are witnessing a deterioration
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First, the UFC simply measured flows. With an alarming “by bad flow increases more than good!” (A “good” rate is, according to the UFC than 2000 kilo bits per second, a “bad” is less than 500 kilo bits per second). Between December 2012 (when the last study) and in October 2013, the share of “bad” rates from 16% to 20% at Bouygues Telecom, 8% to 18% in Orange, from 6% to 18% SFR (Free remains constant at 18%).
In contrast to the “good” flow Bouygues remains constant (52%), SFR down 59% to 50%. Orange only (from 54% to 61%) and Free (15 + points without roaming, roaming with +6 points) are spared of the game is the only claim to fame for Free in this study.
other criteria measured, the newcomer combines indeed bad grades: for video, the “rate of non-quality” Free roaming reached 40% (44% without roaming) to watch TV Pluzz France (then the average of the other 3 stood at 3.2%), and 14.3% in homelessness (25.9% without roaming) to watch Dailymotion.
Free
he flange its network to reduce its invoice “data” vis-à-vis Orange
listening to streaming music (Firefox in this case) the “rate of non-quality” Free reached 33% without roaming (against 18% a year) and to 37% in roaming (against 44% a year). Competitors are better: 4.5% Bouygues Telecom, SFR 9.4% and 11.5% for Orange
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This figure is also curious because, by definition, Free roaming Orange should display the same level of “poor quality” that the Orange network. This is not the case, the gap is even … 26 points! (37.1% against 11.5% for Free Orange “).
How is this possible? Free stifle it its network to limit the bill that pays under the Orange roaming (a bill that takes into account the amount of data sent by Free the Orange network when roaming)? “A clamp is not impossible, meets Antoine Autier, in charge of new technologies, but we did not address this issue because our survey targeted only the measurement of service quality.”
The first results of the “test drive” of Lyon
March, Challenges had participated in a “test drive” near Lyon with an actor telecom-operation of testing using a vehicle equipped with measuring devices network quality. Already curious differences were observed: to download the Facebook app, it was only 25 seconds with the Orange network against 4mn29 on the same network used by Orange Free roaming
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Orange would he took the initiative to “curb” Free flow on its network to harm his “partner-competitor”? The hypothesis skeptical UFC-Que Choisir, “it would be science fiction because Orange key money under Free roaming therefore the volume of data, the more they affect the money, “said Antoine Autier, the UFC-Que Choisir.
Conversely, Free stifle it so voluntarily its 3G network, not to “push” its customers to its 4G, at present almost non-existent, but have no bill “data” too heavy payable to Orange? Indeed, the incumbent has negotiated a contract that provides a sort of “over consumption” if the amount of voice and data consumed by Free exceed the amount initially estimated with Free. Therefore curb or limit the throughput capabilities of its customers reduce this bill, very expensive for Free.
“Technically, such a clamp is quite possible,” says a telecom technician who wishes to remain anonymous: “they can simply avoid activating certain features that can increase throughput (HSU, HSDPA … that improve the flow of 3G, Ed) to maintain flow to an acceptable level for their wallets. ” At the time of the “test drive” of Lyon, Freenews website explained that it was possible that Free analysis the type of extension files that users want to send from their mobile, then restrain the flow if perchance This file extension indicates that the file is likely to be heavy and so ruinous for Free in terms of data. The relevant files are files of type. Mp3,. Mp4, and all multimedia files in general.
OnlyBouygues Telecom is doing well
The site noted that “the extensions. avi,. ogg,. mp4,. mov (and possibly others) [were] systematically downloaded at a very low rate (between 1 and 5 kb / s), while for extensions such as. oga,. webm and. pdf download is as fast as the line allows the user (> 100 kb / s.) The download speed [was] so much bridled depending on the file extension. “This clamping explain why there is a difference in performance, especially for video and downloading applications from the network” Free only “on the one hand, and the network” Free with roaming “on the other.
Except that Free is not alone in seeing degrade the quality of its 3G. Orange and SFR as single-Bouygues Telecom is doing well, the rate of non-quality is the only one of those incumbents, lowering average for all services: it goes well, between December 2012 and October 2013, from 6.2% to 4.5% (although Orange from 5.2% to 8.2% and SFR 6.6% to 7.9%, Free distinguished by extraordinary figures, with a passing rate of 74% … 36%). That said, even if Bouygues Telecom gets the best results, amazement still prevails: “The results of the study are interesting insofar as the 4G to 3G infrastructure investments benefit, and customers who” fall “on 4G free resources for 3G, “says Will we in the communications department (SFR could not return our calls.)
Force “transhumance to 4G”
This does not preclude the UFC-Que Choisir to ask this question, this apparent deterioration in the quality of 3G is it intended to “force transhumance” 3G customers to 4G? “This assumption does not hold, fulminates Laurent Benatar, Technical Director of Orange France: first, it is not relevant to imagine that we can reduce the investment on 3G to 4G on the increase, simply because we need to deliver 3G voice. Currently, and until at least 2015, 4G is used to convey only the data, not voice. How do they spend their customers calls on 2G and 3G network undersized, as the 2G is not enough alone to carry the overflow of calls? “
study Que Choisir is incorrect? “They are constantly studying, we’re not going to, every time, against lead-study to validate or invalidate them, we rely exclusively on measures of ARCEP..” Yes, but the last date of late 2012. The next is announced “soon”, but no specific date. It will be possible to learn a bit more about the apparent deterioration of the 3G network. Meanwhile, ARCEP informed Challenges.fr it will “audition UFC Tuesday [26 November Ed] to watch them with the methodology used for the subject is highly technical.”
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